The Milan exchange. (Milan, Gibson County, Tenn.) 1874-1978, 1887-03-05
THE BEAUTY OF HANDS.
A Wise Mother Tells Her Little Daughter
Wherein Lies Their Confines.

Wherein Lies Their Confines.
ooh, dearr' exclaimed Kathleen
Gray, as she dropped her book. 81
wish I were like other girls"
"What dismal sigh, little daughter"
said mothers CHEEKY voice. "And
what other girls do you wish you were
like, and in what wayP"
"Why, the girls you read about,
mother-their hands. They always
have such beautiful hands, you know
Now here's the girl in this book; it
calls her hands tiny or white, or
'dimpled,' or dainty or some such
things every time it speaks of them.
And didn't 1 read in one ofyour house
keeping papers how lady's hand
should be fair and pink tipped, and have
oval nails with half-moons at their base,
and all thatP And just look at my
great paws" And she cast a look of
contempt at the offending members.
Bring the great paws here, and let
me see them Kathie," said her mother.
Kathie threw herself on the floor at
her mothers feet, and spread out her
hands for inspection.
Her mother studied them. "Well,"
she said at last, "what is the matter
with those hands, dearP l call them
beautiful hands"
"Why- Mother--Gray'' Kathie fairly
gasped in establishment Beautiful!
Why, just look at them"
81 am looking" said her mother.
"What is wrong about them?"
"Why, they are big and brown and
scratched, and here's burn, and there's
a cut, and there are needle-pricks, and
the nails have no half-moons, and, why,
mother, how can you say they are beau
tifulp"
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder,
and in my eyes they are beautiful,
daughter. Let us examine them crit
ically. Big you say Yes, 1 am very
glad to see that my little girl is framed
to grow into woman of large and no
BILE proportions, and that her hands go
symmetrically with such body. What
does a large woman want of tiny
hands, Kathiep Far better these, which
are large and yet shapely, which have
power in them, and remind one that
the clothing of the truly gracious wo-
man is strength as well as honor. So
much for usefulness, which is true
beauty. And you have art in your
favor too. The beautiful ideals which
the Greeks have given us have generous
sized hands and feet just try to i'm
agine the Venus de Milo with tiny
hands!"
Kathie began to look a little COM
forted.
"But see how brown they are" she
said.
81 do see, with great pleasure" said
her mother. THAT brown comes from
She kiss of the sun, and the caress of
the wind. 1t tells of outdoor life, of
botanizing expeditions, of nutting and
fishing excursions, of the wise garner
ing of health. To me it is beautiful
The hands are clean and neatly kept,
Kathleen, and that is all that any sensi-
BILE person would ask from a girl of
your age. On you, white hands would
look sadly out of place, and half
moons are a nonsensical and arbitrary
demand of fashion. In some countries
fashion DEGREES that the nails shall be
dyed black; in others they must be
trimmed to sharp point. Is that,
then, beautyP"
"Well, but see all these scars and
things" persisted Kathleen.
Beauty spots in my eyes, dear"
said her mother drawing the hands
fondly to her lips. 81 know that those
needle-pricks were put there last night
when you hemmed the sails for Jack S
new boat, though you did want to finish
that splendid book. That burn is the
remainder of the night when Nora had
her headache, and my helpful daughter
got the supper. These scratches-do /
not remember how l longed for some
wild blackberries, and how dear girl
spent all her half-holiday in picking
them for meP And this cut think
came becsuse your skill was not equal
to your good will, when you helped
little Harold transform his single into a
big ship. You have beautiful, helpful
hands, dear daughter, and 1 thank God
for il"
Kathie looked at her hands soberly
and humbly, but with happy light in
her eyes.
you've got tip-top hands, Kate, and
you needn't run 'em down." broke in
Jack, who had come in unnoticed. 81
always say that, for girl, commend
me to You, because you aren't always
afraid of spelling your hands, like SOME